CATCH THE BUZZ – Help Catch These Thieves!!

Thieves stole the heart out of at least 20 colonies, impacting several different research projects underway at Washington State University (WSU). When scientists Dr. Brandon Hopkins and Dr. Steve Sheppard traveled to evaluate their colonies east of Modesto this almond pollination season, they were saddened by what they found. “Someone knew what they were doing”, said Dr. Sheppard. “In most cases the queen was gone, as were 4-5 frames from the bottom box”. He went on to say, “Somebody formed some nucs out of our research colonies, and then probably went on to sell them at a pretty good price, given the value of bees in almonds.” These bees were particularly valuable because of the time and effort WSU invested in the artificial insemination of the queens, the investment made in breeding, and in collecting data leading up to the planned subsequent evaluation in almonds. Colonies were located in the Empire area, and frames may or may not have WSU stamped on them.

If you have any information, please contact Dr. Brandon Hopkins at 509-868-1250 or email him at bhopkins@wsu.edu.

Project Apis m. will collect money for WSU to help replace these colonies.